Name: precise cellular ablation approach for modeling acute kidney injury in developing zebrafish
Uploaded: 2017-06-03T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Precise Cellular Ablation Approach for Modeling Acute Kidney Injury in Developing Zebrafish at JoVE.com

We would like to thank Dr. Iain Drummond and Dr. Vladimir Korzh for sharing kidney GFP transgenic lines. We would also like to thank NYITCOM for providing necessary resources to conduct this work. This study was in part supported by grants: K08DK082782, R03DK097443 (NIH), and the HSCI Pilot Grant (AV).

This study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of the National Institutes of Health. The protocol was approved by the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (NYITCOM IACUC). All surgery and in vivo experimentation was performed under tricaine anesthesia, and all efforts were made to minimize suffering.
1. Obtaining and Maintaining Embryos
<ol>
	<li>Obtain embryos by c...

<ol>
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M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Diagnosis,+Epidemiology+And+Outcomes+of+Acute+Kidney+Injury.">Diagnosis, Epidemiology And Outcomes of Acute Kidney Injury.</a> Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 3 (3), 844-861 (2008).</li><li>Lameire, N., Van Biesen, W., Vanholder, R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Acute+Kidney+Injury.">Acute Kidney Injury.</a> The Lancet. 372 (9653), 1863-1865 (2008).</li><li>Esson, M. L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Diagnosis+And+Treatment+of+Acute+Tubular+Necrosis.">Diagnosis And Treatment of Acute Tubular Necrosis.</a> Ann Intern Med. 137 (9), 744 (2002).</li><li>Vaidya, V. S., Ferguson, M. A., Bonventre, J. 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V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dedifferentiation+And+Proliferation+of+Surviving+Epithelial+Cells+In+Acute+Renal+Failure.">Dedifferentiation And Proliferation of Surviving Epithelial Cells In Acute Renal Failure.</a> J Am Soc Nephrol. 14 (90001), (2003).</li><li>Palmyre, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Collective+Epithelial+Migration+Drives+Kidney+Repair+After+Acute+Injury.">Collective Epithelial Migration Drives Kidney Repair After Acute Injury.</a> PLoS ONE. 9 (7), e101304 (2014).</li><li>Vasilyev, A., Drummond, I. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Live+Imaging+Kidney+Development+In+Zebrafish.">Live Imaging Kidney Development In Zebrafish.</a> Methods Mol Biol. , 55-70 (2012).</li><li>Korzh, V., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Visualizing+Compound+Transgenic+Zebrafish+In+Development:+A+Tale+of+Green+Fluorescent+Protein+And+Killerred+.">Visualizing Compound Transgenic Zebrafish In Development: A Tale of Green Fluorescent Protein And Killerred .</a> Zebrafish. 8 (1), 23-29 (2011).</li><li>Bollig, F., Mehringer, R., Perner, B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Identification+and+comparative+expression+analysis+of+a+second+wt1+gene+in+zebrafish.">Identification and comparative expression analysis of a second wt1 gene in zebrafish.</a> Dev Dyn. 235 (2), 554-561 (2006).</li><li>Liu, Y., Pathak, N., Kramer-Zucker, A., Drummond, I. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Notch+signaling+controls+the+differentiation+of+transporting+epithelia+and+multiciliated+cells+in+the+zebrafish+pronephros.">Notch signaling controls the differentiation of transporting epithelia and multiciliated cells in the zebrafish pronephros.</a> Development. 134 (6), 1111-1122 (2007).</li><li>Diep, C. Q., Ma, D., Deo, R. C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Identification+of+adult+nephron+progenitors+capable+of+kidney+regeneration+in+zebrafish.">Identification of adult nephron progenitors capable of kidney regeneration in zebrafish.</a> Nature. 470 (7332), 95-100 (2011).</li><li>Zhou, W., Boucher, R. C., Bollig, F., Englert, C., Hildebrandt, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+of+mesonephric+development+and+regeneration+using+transgenic+zebra+fish.">Characterization of mesonephric development and regeneration using transgenic zebra fish.</a> Am J Physiol. 299 (5), F1040-F1047 (2010).</li><li>Fisher, S., Grice, E. A., Vinton, R. M., Bessling, S. L., McCallion, A. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Conservation+of+RET+regulatory+function+from+human+to+zebrafish+without+sequence+similarity.">Conservation of RET regulatory function from human to zebrafish without sequence similarity.</a> Science. 312 (5771), 276-279 (2006).</li><li>Seiler, C., Pack, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transgenic+labeling+of+the+zebrafish+pronephric+duct+and+tubules+using+a+promoter+from+the+enpep+gene.">Transgenic labeling of the zebrafish pronephric duct and tubules using a promoter from the enpep gene.</a> Gene Expr Patterns. 11, 118-121 (2011).</li><li>Lin, H. F., Traver, D., Zhu, H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+thrombocyte+development+in+CD41-GFP+transgenic+zebrafish.">Analysis of thrombocyte development in CD41-GFP transgenic zebrafish.</a> Blood. 106 (12), 3803-3810 (2005).</li><li>Choo, B. 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It should be noted that the total laser power varies between systems. However, using percent GFP photobleaching allows for a readout of total energy delivered to the fluorescent kidney, independent of the variation in laser power and compensated for by the length of exposure. Keep in mind, however, that the response of different tissues to this method of photoablation varies. Even during kidney maturation, it is significantly more difficult to obtain a 50% reduction in GFP fluorescence in younger embryos than in mature l...

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)1,2, which also can be referred to as acute renal failure, is broadly defined as a sudden impairment in kidney function3. While the level of understanding of this condition has been enhanced remarkably over the years, morbidity and mortality rates have remained high1,2. The current treatment for this condition is mostly supportive, as results from multiple clinical trials of drug therapy have been negative4,5. The kidney is unique in that it has the ability to repair itself. Therefore, supportive therapy after an early diagnosis of AKI is the best way to limit morbidity6. However, it is difficult to detect AKI early, and the mortality rate is a staggering 50-80% for those who require dialysis5. With the ability of the kidneys to repair themselves and the lack of treatment options for this condition, it is important to develop methods to enhance this nephron regeneration process.
There have been many different models used for AKI research that includes different agents of injury and animal models. In terms of agents of kidney damage, the aminoglycoside antibiotic gentamicin has been used as a nephrotoxic agent that leads to AKI7,8. However, several groups have found that gentamicin treatment is lethal to the zebrafish embryo9. It causes tubular damage that is too serious for embryo recovery, making the study of regeneration difficult without some type of intervention. Mammalian models, like the mouse and rat, are also considered valuable, but they face many limitations during the study of AKI. Perhaps the main disadvantage of rodent models is the difficulty in visualizing the rodent kidney and thus determining the precise spatiotemporal processes leading to epithelial death and repair.
Johnson et al. have reported a laser ablation-based technique to induce acute kidney injury in embryonic and larval zebrafish9. They used pulsed laser ablation to damage the kidney after an intramuscular injection with dextran conjugates. The fluorescence from dextran conjugates allows for the visualization of damage and regeneration in the tubule epithelium9. This model overcomes the two limitations mentioned above, but it does not allow for graded levels of injury and is difficult to carry out on large, arbitrary cell groups.
The new laser ablation-based zebrafish model of AKI described here addresses all of the above limitations. The pronephric kidney in larval zebrafish is a mature, functioning organ that contains segments similar to the mammalian nephron, including a glomerulus, proximal and distal tubules, and a collecting duct10. Zebrafish larvae are also optically transparent, making it feasible to observe the kidney through fluorescence techniques. Thus, zebrafish are a valuable in vivo model of AKI, and the larval pronephric kidney (5-12 days-post-fertilization (dpf)) can be used to study the cellular and molecular processes involved in kidney injury and repair.
This paper presents a method through which specific Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP)-expressing nephron segments can be photoablated using a low-energy (compared to a pulsed-laser system) violet laser light (405 nm). The GFP fluorescence allows for the targeting of a group of cells, making the changes that occur visible through the observation of GFP photobleaching. In addition, GFP (by absorbing violet light) serves as an energy sink to potentiate the injury in GFP-expressing kidney cells. Time-lapse microscopy can then be used to study the repair process. Studies have found cell proliferation, cell migration, and cell metaplasia11,12,13 to all be potential processes that may play an important role in kidney repair. However, the relative importance of these processes and the details of their interplay have been difficult to uncover due to the limitations of existing models of AKI. Using this novel approach, it was possible to show that cell migration plays a central role in kidney repair after acute injury14.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri Dishes, 35 x 10mm</td>
			<td>Genesee Scientific</td>
			<td>32-103</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 2.4,2.7</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri Dishes, 100 x 15mm</td>
			<td>Midwest Scientific</td>
			<td>910</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>De-chorination forceps- Electron Microscopy Sciences Dumont Tweezers 5 Dumostar</td>
			<td>Fischer Scientific</td>
			<td>50-241-57</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 2.1.1</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Plastic Transfer Pipet</td>
			<td>Globe Scientific</td>
			<td>135030</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 2.5, 3.6</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Tricaine</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>A5040-25G</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 2.3, 3.4</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Agarose</td>
			<td>Fischer Scientific</td>
			<td>BP165-25</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 2.3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Pulled glass probe (manufactured manually from glass capillary tubes)</td>
			<td>Fischer Scientific</td>
			<td>21-1640-2C</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 2.4</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Stereomicroscope</td>
			<td>Nikon</td>
			<td>SMZ1270</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 1.5</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SOLA Light Engine</td>
			<td>Lumencor</td>
			<td>SOLA SM-5-LCR-SB</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 1.5</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Eclipse C2 Plus Confocal Microscope System</td>
			<td>Nikon</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1x E3 Solution</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Recipe used to generate: 5 mM NaCl, 0.17 mM KCl, 0.33 mM CaCl 2 , 0.33 mM MgSO 4 Procedural Step Usage: 1.2, 1.3, 2.2, 2.3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PTU</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>P7629-10G</td>
			<td>Procedural Step Usage: 1.3, 2.2, 3.4, and 4.2</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NIS Elements Software</td>
			<td>Nikon</td>
			<td>C2+</td>
			<td>Procedural Usage: Step 3</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Laser Unit</td>
			<td>Agilent</td>
			<td>MLC 400</td>
			<td>Procedural Step 3.11</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Propidium Iodide</td>
			<td>Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td>P4170-100MG</td>
			<td>Procedural Step Usage: 4.2</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

precise cellular ablation approach for modeling acute kidney injury in developing zebrafish

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a common medical condition with a high mortality rate. With the repair abilities of the kidney, it is possible to restore adequate kidney function after supportive treatment. However, a better understanding of how nephron cell death and repair occur on the cellular level is required to minimize cell death and to enhance the regenerative process. The zebrafish pronephros is a good model system to accomplish this goal because it contains anatomical segments that are similar to the mammalian nephron. Previously, the most common model used to study kidney injury in fish was the pharmacological gentamicin model. However, this model does not allow for precise spatiotemporal control of injury, and hence it is difficult to study cellular and molecular processes involved in kidney repair. To overcome this limitation, this work presents a method through which, in contrast to the gentamicin approach, a specific Green Fuorescent Protein (GFP)-expressing nephron segment can be photoablated using a violet laser light (405 nm). This novel model of AKI provides many advantages that other methods of epithelial injury lack. Its main advantages are the ability to &#34;dial&#34; the level of injury and the precise spatiotemporal control in the robust in vivo animal model. This new method has the potential to significantly advance the level of understanding of kidney injury and repair mechanisms.

Please note that this protocol was successfully used with a number of kidney GFP transgenic lines, including ET(krt8:EGFP)sqet11-9, ET(krt8:EGFP)sqet33-d10, and Tg(atp1a1a.4:GFP). The example results shown here were obtained using the ET(krt8:EGFP)sqet11-9 line.
Figure 1 shows the example photoablation protocol. The average GFP intensity is monitored inside the region of interest (<strong class="xfi...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Precise Cellular Ablation Approach for Modeling Acute Kidney Injury in Developing Zebrafish at JoVE.com

Precise Cellular Ablation Approach for Modeling Acute Kidney Injury in Developing Zebrafish

This work presents a new in vivo model of segmental kidney injury using kidney GFP transgenic zebrafish. The model allows for the induction of the targeted ablation of kidney epithelial cells to show the cellular mechanisms of nephron injury and repair.

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is a common medical condition with a high mortality rate. With the repair abilities of the kidney, it is possible to restore ...

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Developmental Biology

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